1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a protective cover for a surfboard and more particularly to a cover having components for providing extra protection to the fin(s) of a surfboard.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Over the years, surfing boards and sail boards have evolved from solid wood paddle and surfboards to today's modern, ultra-light polyurethane foam and fiberglass composition structures. Although their maneuverability has increased as their weight decreased, the newer surfboard compositions have a significant drawback in their susceptibility to damage from abrasive materials, cracking, stress fractures and impact. Such damage does more than merely detract from the visual appearance of this relatively expensive athletic equipment. Rather, the areas most vulnerable to such damage, the side rails and the fins, are essential for effective control of the surfboard in the water. Disruption of the carefully crafted contours of the rail edges through damage causes unwanted drag which affects the balance, maneuverability and performance of the surfboard. Moreover, crack and impact damage tend to focus the stresses of the board to the damaged area causing the injury to grow and expose more of the fragile porous foam inner core. As a result, the exposed core of a damaged surfboard is prone to the absorption of sea water which dramatically changes the symmetrical balance and handling of the board.
In the past, the majority of such damage was incurred through contact with rocks and other hard obstacles located on the sea shore when an unattended board was washed ashore by wave action after the rider was thrown from the board. However, modern day surfers utilize a tether to strap the surfboard to one of their ankles in order to prevent this occurrence. As a result, the majority of damage to modern day surfboards is incurred during storage and transit.
Prior art methods to deal with these problems have tended to involve relatively heavy, bulky, rigid surfboard cases provided with collapsible foam liners which encase the board much like a modern day guitar case. Aside from the bulk and expense of these rigid surfboard transportation cases, a serious drawback is the inability to store the case itself in a convenient location after the board has been removed for use. Such rigid cases are also difficult to mount on conventional automobile surfboard roof racks, especially when stacked in tandem, which is a common occurrence with unprotected boards.
An alternative protective device currently in use is a surfboard bag formed of a pliable woven fabric material and contoured to completely enclose the surfboard prior to closing the bag with a drawstring. Typical of this type of protection currently offered on the market are the bags offered by Pro-Lite of International Surfing Accessories and the bag marketed by Inseasons of PBI Sport Products. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 3,339,607 to Howard discloses a surfboard cover which is contoured to accept the surfboard fin and which uses a zipper closing. U.S. Pat. No. 4,483,380 to Beran discloses a foldable cover and carrier comprising a multiple-layer fabric strip which folds over a surfboard and is strapped in place. It also includes handle means and reinforcement. Though effective at absorbing minor impacts, such soft surfboard bags as described above provide little, if any, protection from the major impacts commonly associated with surfboard transportation and accidental dropping in transit or storage. Moreover, they provide no protection from the compressive or stress cracking forces associated with conventional surfboard roof racks.
Another alternative protective device, therefore, has been devised to offer protection to only the rail edges or the fin edges, with absorptive materials, such as beads or foam. Typical of such devices is U.S. Pat. No. 4,719,952 to Geronimo, which discloses a reusable, temporary shock absorbing cover which encloses the forward tip and edges of a surfboard. U.S. Pat. No. 4,586,451 to Mori discloses partial covers made of rubber, or the like material, which protect the nose, rails, and tail of a surfboard. Also on the market are offered various tip protectors such as the "Nose-Guard" by Surf Company, which is a shock absorbing bumper for the tip of a surfboard, and the "Boardsaver" from Bang-It, which is a rail protective cover strip.
There are no known covers which provide an effective structure to protect surfboard fins during transportation. Moreover, there is no known cover which is foldable or collapsible and which still offers the necessary shock and impact absorbing properties of the rail or nose covers combined with the ease of use and versatility of the board "bags".